As Feds Cut Public Assistance, N.Y. Can Protect Head Start Eligibility

It’s back-to-school season, which for many low-income families means that Head Start is welcoming their children to the classroom. The oldest and largest program of its kind, Head Start is a comprehensive early childhood education program that promotes school readiness for low-income children and families.

But Head Start provides more than just education. It’s also a public health program that provides nutritious meals, offers health screenings and engages parents. As a result, Head Start children not only demonstrate significant increases in language, literacy and math by the time they complete the program, they also improve their health, along with their cognitive and socio-emotional skills.

And it is from this public health perspective that we should understand what threats to Head Start mean for our communities.